A Rant (or whine), Take it or Leave it

Oh, yay, yet another day in the life of a miffed writer post. Too bad. Suck it up, and read on, or click away. A warning though, I'm in one of those 'feisty' moods.

Rejection. It sucks no matter how you look at it. Whether it's on a query to an agent, or a submission to a publisher, it is inevitably, and unfortunately, part of the publishing business. I'm sure every aspiring writer, and published writer, has heard this ad nauseam. And everyone who has been there, done that, owns the t-shirt, can also tell you that you have to keep trying.

And it is that - trying. Yep, trying my patience. You have to wait, and wait, then get that rejection, sometimes so fast that you wonder if they even read one word, before tossing it into the big 'R' pile.

But honestly that's not the part that is, pardon the expression, but burning my biscuits. What's got me angry is timing. For what it's worth, timing is everything.

I've discovered that you may have the new best idea, with clever characters, well-written plot, and done in a way that hasn't been slimmed to death by a thousand other authors, yet no one will give it the time of day. And it's all because of timing. Damn. Unfortunately when one book becomes an instant hit, you'll see publishers scrambling to climb aboard the money express. All they want is, 'how can we get our own series like that one? or can so-and-so write something like this? and pull from their stable of authors' and grab at the opportunity to get similar books to ride the popularity wave. And hey, you can't blame them! They know what the public demands, and so they'll give it to them. Oh, and in the process make a butt load of money. Again, no qualms there either.
But that only equals the market being flooded with type X novels. Be it other houses wishing to grasp that golden 'hot' ring, or new writers who want to hook into the hottest selling stuff. Well again, here goes with the timing. First, it takes around 18 months from the time a book is purchased from the author until it sees the bookstore shelf. So, what's hot now isn't what will be hot in 18 months. Never, ever, write to the current market. By the time you get your novel out, it'll be glutted with others like it and no one will touch it with a ten foot pole. Even IF you write something a little different, it's just not going to appeal to agents and editors because they are looking for the next big thing, not last years clearance items.

So, while writing takes skill, patience, and tenacity, it also takes a ton of luck. BTW- luck has never been my strong suit. But I'll keep plugging away, because if nothing else, by sheer bullheadedness, I'm going to get there.